Loose ear corn and vegetable harvesting device



y ,1932. A. MUELLER 1,859,986

LOOSE EAR CORN AND VEGETABLE HARVESTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 16, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TORI flLBERT MUELLER,

10 A TTORNEY.

A. MUELLER May 24, 1932.

LOOSE EAR CORN AND VEGETABLE HARVESTING DEVICE 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledAug. 16, 1929 F g jvwemi'oz: flLBERT MUELLER,

Patented May 24, 1932 l eu 'rf f ST TE ALBERT MUELLER, F COLUMBUS,NEBRASKA oosr: EAR CORN AND VEGETABLE HARVESTING DEVICE jApplicationfiled migut 16, 1929. Serial No. ssaaaa- This invention hasfor a rimar p object to,

provide a device which may be used either by itself or in combinationwith acorn har- Vester or other harvester device adapted to 5 removeears or heads from the standing plants," of ail-appliance adapted togather fallen ears or otherproducts'lying upon the ground, and deliverthem to a desired point.

A further important object'is to provide a device of this kind whichwill'fgather corn,

fruits and vegetables without material damage to them. A furtheraimistopresenta novelstruc'ture in a reel for picking up ears andthelikcup'on the ground, combining desirable features for such appliances.A further important aim isto present a deviceof such character as willbe liable in a minimum degree to impairment and which may 'be readilyconstructed 'at a reasonable cost and 29 operated in a simple'manner.

Additional objects, advantages features of invention reside in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of parts in theembodiment ofthe invention, as will be more readily understood from the follou ingdescription and accompanying drawings, wherein Figurel is a side view ofa device embody ing the invention," I Figure 2 is 'a topview thereof. 1

showing ears of corn engaged therein,

Figure 4 is a sectional View of the hub of one of the lifter wheels.

individual draft or propelling means, or may be incorporated as part ofsome other ap- Figure 3 is a bottom viewof the device 1 Figure 5 is asimilar view of a modification proved type of harvesting device. Transversely of this frame on its under side there is mounted arevolubleshaft 11, rectangular in cross section, on whichthere are tixed amultiplicity of idle reels 12 each of which includes a hub 13 receivingtherethrough the shaft 11, and a multiplicity of resilient spokes ortines 14, cast or. otherwise set in the hub, each tine having at itsouter end a knob 15 of rounded form although it may be ovate in thedirection of the axis of the tine. 1

Knobs 15 on the reel are. preferably spaced a distance of not more thantwoand one half inches apart, and knobs on mutually adjacent reels aresimilarly spaced apart. The times l l are preferably made offflexiblesteel rods" adapted to be bent readily when mutually adjacent knobs 15pass on opposite sides of a vegetable," so as to admit the vegetablesbetween" the upper parts of the tines above the knobs, Where it will beretained and carried by. the reel. The r-eel devices are in suflicientnumber to cover the distance be tween two rows of corn, although thesize of the device maybe varied to suit various crops. The knobs 15 onthe tines engage the ground so as to support the device withoutauxiliary wheels of any kind, as may be j vated fields, so that theknobs may engage lore readily ,below a vegetable as indicated. Betweeneach two mutuallyadjacent reels a longitudinal clearing bar 19 islocated, supported on the front and rear transversemembers of theeframe.The forward part of the bar extends ,rearwardly from its endinto path:of the knobs 15, as at 20 in F igure'l lmmedi'atelybeyondjthe path oftheknobs close relation with the hubs; of the reels thence downwardlyand rearwardly,f with a. gradual curve convergent toward the orbitalthe'extremity of thebar lies a. distancespaced f fromthe path of theknobs 15. Immediately below the downturned end 21'of the clearing 15 thebar 19 is curved downwardly so that may be of any approved constructionand operation.

In the operation of this device, it is drawn over the ground upon whichthe loose corn or other vegetables may lie, and when an ear of corn orthe like is engaged,the knobs on the tines pass closely beside it andtherebelow, so that when the reel passes over the vegetable, these knobslift the vegetable which is soon engaged at the inner side of theclearing bar 19, and is forced longitudinally outward from between thetines so as to drop into the conveyor 22.

The tines may have the hubs cast thereon or may be formed with threadsand screwed into the hubs removably, whereby they may be readily removedfor repair, or. replace ment. In such case it will be desirable to forma plurality of outer tines upon a singlethreaded shank as at 14. s

'As may be seen, the objects which may be picked up by the tines do nothave to be of regular form, nor do they require to be alined with thepath of the device or arranged in any particular relation to the seriesarrangement of the tines upon the reel. As may be seen in Figure 3, thecorn ear may be arranged longitudinally of the path of the device,transversely or diagonally, and still will be coengaged so that it willbe effectively lifted.

1 In Figure 6 I have shown a fender device which may be mounted upon thefront of the frame 10 so as to pass closely adjacent two rows of corn,and lift any broken or fallen stalks which lie in the path of thegathering device which might tend to prevent its more widely spaced forgathering of large objects.

In Figure 8 there is indicated a preferable proportioning of the sizesof the reel units whereby the appliance willaccommodate itself moreefficiently to the contour of the ground between'two rows of corn orsuch other vegetables as may be involved. In th s instance the tines 14on the units at each side of the middle unit are progressively I as twoadjacent rows of plants.

unduly thereinto isobviated and a more certain pick-up of the vegetableassured.

To lighten the construction and facilitate production and assembly ofparts, the hubs may preferably be cast with an annular rim 26 ofsufficient radius, connected by spokes'or web with a hub proper 27 whichmay be fitted on the assembly shaft as before described (see Figures 9and 10). The space betweenthe rim 26 and the hub 27 is suflicient topermit the inner ends of the tine bases 28 to project through the rim adistance and to i receive and permit ready fitting and tightenthe framefrom a high point-atthe forward part rearwardly beneath theaxisof the'reels but spaced closely thereadj acent, thence con vergentlytoward theperimeter of the pathof rotation of the reels and beyond for clearanceof objects from between the tines.

'2. In a harvesting machine of the charac ter described, a reel adaptedto rotate in engagement with the ground, said reel having a multiplicityof article gathering tines, in laterally spaced series, and'clearingbars alternated with the series of tines extending from a point belowand adjacent the axis of the reel and a substantial distanceinwardly ofthe ends of the tines, thence upwardly con-j vergent from within to theperimeter of the path of rotation of the ends of the tines in thedirection of rotation andextending beyond the tines for clearance'ofobjectsat the lower sides of the clearing bars.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

ALBERT MUELLER.

